In December 2023, the Addiction Science Center (ASC) released a report with the Tennessee Department of Health (TDH) Overdose Response Coordination Office (ORCO) called “A Community Needs Assessment of Drug Use and Overdose Prevention, Treatment, Recovery, and Harm Reduction Services in Tennessee”. This report coalesces rich qualitative data from interviews and focus groups among people reporting past 30-day substance use and those participating in recovery programs within the five high impact areas across Tennessee.
The purpose of this study was to assess participants’ needs and experiences with overdose prevention/response, EMS, law enforcement, healthcare, substance use treatment services, mental health services, social services, and harm reduction services. Review of the data resulted in the identification of some important universal themes including high levels of naloxone use, a need for post-overdose service connection, experiences of stigma from EMS/ law enforcement/ healthcare providers, and numerous identified barriers to substance use disorder treatment, mental health treatment, and social services. These results are being disseminated among stakeholders across the state through the report and invited presentations. Currently the ASC team is planning for a more in-depth thematic analysis of the data for publication in the coming months. For more information on this study, please contact co-primary investigators Dr. Bill Brooks (brooksb1@etsu.edu) and Dr. Angela Hagaman (hagaman@etsu.edu).